WWE Intercontinental Champion Ricochet recently spoke with CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri on his doubts about making it to WWE while wrestling in the indies and around the world. He also mentioned a conversation he had with Rey Mysterio after their Lucha Underground match in 2016.
Ricochet stated that he aspired to be like Mysterio and The Rock, but was prepared to accept a smaller role because he never imagined he would make it to WWE. Ricochet began his career in 2003, but things changed in 2010 when he began traveling to Japan.
“I wanted to be like Rey Mysterio. I wanted to be like those guys. I wanted to be The Rock, even if it was on a smaller scale in someone’s backyard. I wanted to do that,” Ricochet recalled. “I never thought I would be in the WWE. I was just doing it because I liked it. 2010 is when I started going to Japan, and that’s when I was like, ‘Oh, I can really start making a career out of this.’ And again, I didn’t even think that I would be in the WWE. I was like, ‘I can make a career out of this because there are other places where I can make some money. I’m not going to be in the WWE, but I can still make some money and pay my rent and pay my car payments off of wrestling, which was great.”
Ricochet went on to discuss how the WWE landscape has evolved after the signings of Finn Balor and Sami Zayn, as well as the introduction of the WWE NXT brand.
“As the landscape of the WWE started to change a little bit — the Balors and the Sami Zayns. Those guys really starting to change how the WWE views their athletes. Those guys are getting success there,” he said. “And even before that, I started to see it and I’m like, ‘Okay, so it might be possible.’ Especially after NXT started, I’m watching the Takeovers and I’m watching all that stuff and I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s actually where I want to be. I want to be there. I want to be in NXT at the Takeovers and do those things. When Cesaro and Sami Zayn had their match, when Balor and Samoa Joe were going, Neville and Sami Zayn. I was like, ‘That’s what I want to do. That’s why I want to be there.’ When Seth Rollins and those guys started going to Raw and having crazy success, I was like, ‘I could probably do this.’ And then things just fell into place and pieces started falling together. Now, look at me.”
Mysterio defeated Ricochet, who was then known as Prince Puma, in the Ultima Lucha Dos Part 3 of Lucha Underground Season 2. The main event of that card was a match in January 2016. Ricochet recalls his post-match talk with Rey, as well as what Rey said about WWE Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero, in a new interview with CBS Sports.
“It was crazy because after the match I went to his locker room and was just thanking him for everything because that was just a huge, absolute dream match of mine,” Ricochet said. “Not only was it a dream match of mine, but we got to create a masterpiece that we created and we went out there and performed how we wanted it to be. I just wanted to thank him and he was like, ‘We’re going to do this again one day on a bigger scale.’ He already was saying all that stuff. The crazy thing, he was like, ‘Man, I wish you could have met Eddie. Eddie would have loved you.’ That was just right to my heart.”
Ricochet then mentioned going in WWE with Rey and possibly getting a rematch.
“Once I got here… we got together and we just kind of reminisced like, ‘Man, remember that?’ And now we’re actually here. And now we might actually have a chance to do it,” he said. “Now we’re here, so we might actually have a chance to do it once again and on a bigger scale. I really, really hope before he is done lacing the boots, that we get a chance to just lock horns again.”
You can watch the complete interview below:
